Jaded Flames
by CertainUncertainty
Summary: Just when Kagari begins to lose hope in finding his ashikabi, she stumbles into his life. As his powers threaten to reduce him to ashes, he struggles to help her overcome her fear of commitment to save his life. [Male!Kagari x OC]


_**"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."**_

**~ Lao Tzu**

It hurt.

Hell, all of it hurt.

With each step he took, trying to find a safe spot to rest, the pain increased. Wisps of smoke lifted from his body, dancing in the warm summer breeze from his scorched skin. He knew by the pain alone that he had some serious burns, but he was more concerned about the heat. He shouldn't have been able to feel it, much less be hurt by it. His hand could barely touch the wall, a useless guide into a nearby alley. When it all became too much, he put his back to the wall and slid down to the ground. "I didn't even release that much power," he whispered to himself miserably, "I didn't think it would become this unstable. Damn, this body is useless."

He did have hope, however, in the serum Takami had developed especially for him.

Kagari pulled down his mask with a blistered finger as he reached into his pocket for his cell phone. Luckily, the damn thing hadn't been damaged by the heat from his body. "If I can get her to - " Before he could even press a button, his power flared, increasing his temperature drastically and reducing the phone in his hand to a melted plastic mess. His hand dropped to the pavement beside him, sending another wave of pain through his body. This was the half-life of an experiment. He was the prototype sekirei, the first one that MBI's research team had attempted to adjust.

And now he was paying for it.

"Will I be a pile of ashes by morning?" Sweat had begun to drip down his face and waves of nausea rolled through his stomach with each breath. Worse of all, he was beginning to lose consciousness. If he didn't find help soon, the heatstroke would begin damaging his organs. If he never got help at all, there may not even be a body to find. "I really don't like the idea of self-cremation."

Just when it was near impossible to keep his head up, to keep his eyes open and focus on living, he was saved. Cool, refreshing water nearly drowned him where he sat, immediately dropping his temperature to normal.

"You look pitiful, Homura." A familiar voice echoed softly in the near darkness around him. "And you're supposed to be my rival?"

He looked up, exhausted beyond words. "Tsukiumi..." Never before had he been happy to see her.

"Stand up!" The blonde commanded, her hands firmly on her hips and lips twisted in a scowl. "I don't tolerate giving up!" Tsukiumi stood with her back to him, the wind playing with the hem of her skirt.

Kagari couldn't fight it, and snickered. When Tsukiumi tilted her head to the side in question, he explained. "I can see your panties."

"_What?!_" She whipped back around to face him.

"But what about your ashikabi, did you find one?" He took his time standing up, making sure he was strong enough.

"No, but - " She tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned away, leaving him there. " - the moment he meets me, will be his _last_."

With one leap, she was gone, just as quickly as she'd come. Kagari looked up at the night sky and sighed softly. Maybe Tsukiumi was a bit more stable than he was, allowing her the luxury of entertaining the thought of killing her ashikabi. He needed his almost more than his next breath.

The irony of it made him chuckle, despite the pain.

**0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0**

"Ow!" Kagari snatched back his hand and glared at Miya. "What's in that crap?!"

"It's a mix of antibiotics and pain meds, mostly lidocaine. I told you it would sting a little." Matsu frowned, adjusting her glasses with her finger.

Kagari looked down at his fingers, shiny and pink towards the tips. "Ha, 'sting a little' my ass." He shifted his weight and his bed groaned softly in protest. In the dim light of his bedside lamp, Miya cared for his burns with Matsu's help, making sure the ointment was applied properly to avoid infection. Since his body hadn't started healing on its own, they weren't sure his immune system was functioning properly.

"Kagari," Miya spoke softly, the first thing she'd said since he'd made it home, stumbling out of the taxi soaking wet. "You're running out of time."

He froze for a moment, caught off guard. "I know, Miya."

She shook her head slowly and looked up at him with a sad, but determined look in her eyes. "Do you really? Your adjusters were able to limit your powers, but it wasn't meant to last forever."

He nodded and sighed, letting his head fall back. "I know. Because of their experiments and tampering, all of us are unstable and risk dying because of our powers. That's why they released us. To find our ashikabi and emerge."

"Or at least that was the original reason." Matsu cut in. "You should cut back on your patrolling and dedicate a little more time to finding your ashikabi."

Kagari bit the inside of his cheek. "Not all of us are fortunate enough to have somebody just fall into our lap." Miya began wrapping his hands carefully.

"At any rate, Kagari," Miya looked at him briefly before continuing, "I think Matsu's right."

"But the odds of me finding one are slim, remember?" He winced at the pain as Miya tightened the bandage.

"This has nothing to do with odds, Kagari. It's all about fate. And what's meant to be, _will_ be." Miya stood up and put all of the materials back in the first aid kit that sat next to him. "I believe in fate, and I believe in you. You _will_ find your ashikabi, and this game Minaka's playing will be stopped." She stopped briefly and smiled at him. "Besides, if you die, I won't get the rent money you owe."


End file.
